The Calgary Flames got a player most teams in the NHL would’ve loved to get when they chose Carson Carels with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
The 18-year-old defenseman is from Manitoba and stands 6-foot-2 while weighing in at 192 pounds. He already looks ready for pro hockey.
With a lefty shot and not turning 19 until June, Carels certainly seems to have a strong future ahead of him.
When the Flames drafted him, he had just completed his third season in the WHL with the Prince George Cougars.
His first year there was brief, just a seven-game stint with three assists.
Carels started to show what he could do in 2024-25 when he played 60 games and had 35 points — 6 goals and 29 assists.
His breakout came in 2025-26. Carels went for a whopping 73 points in 58 games, notching 20 goals and dishing out 53 assists. He also had 10 points in 10 playoff games with one goal and nine assists.
That got the NHL’s full attention, and it earned Carels a spot in the Flames’ organization.
He isn’t yet a professional hockey player, though. Carels first chose to go to college.
How is Carson Carels Playing in College?
Carels chose to go to the University of North Dakota to continue his hockey career at the NCAA Division I level.
It’s very early in the NCAA season, so it’s much too soon to make major judgments.
Carels has played two games so far with North Dakota. He has yet to record a point, and he is a minus-1.
The North Dakota stats page does show that Carel has blocked a pair of shots, and he has taken two shots, as well. There is no ice time data available.
The Fighting Hawks are off to a 2-0 start to the season. They’re being led by six points from Will Zellers, who was a third-round pick by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2024 NHL Draft. Zellers has two goals and four assists so far.
North Dakota has a strong roster that should lead to a winning season and a potential deep run in the postseason, too, which can only help in Carels’ development.
When Will Carson Carels Come to NHL?
Carels doesn’t have to rush. The Flames will hold his rights for half a decade. He can play a full four-year college career if he wants.
Players in the NCAA ranks generally wouldn’t leave midseason, so the first assessment point for Carels will likely be at the end of this college hockey season.
Given his age, it wouldn’t be a shock for Carels to spend another year in college, too — but he and the Flames can work to figure that out in the spring.
Here’s How Carson Carels Is Playing Since Flames Draft Pick